Peer reviewed analysis from world leading experts

Indonesia’s presidential hopefuls will need to brandish their Islamic credentials

Reading Time: 5 mins
Members of Islamist groups wave flags during a rally at The National Monument compound as they celebrate the one-year anniversary of a protest that brought down former ethnic Chinese Jakarta governor Basuki Tjahja Purnama in Jakarta, Indonesia, 2 December 2017 (Photo: Reuters/Beawiharta).

In Brief

The 2019 presidential election in Indonesia will be different from previous elections. All potential candidates will have to show that they possess strong Islamic credentials if they hope to go far.

Share

  • A
  • A
  • A

Share

  • A
  • A
  • A

The pressure to accommodate Islamic groups in Indonesian politics has become more pronounced since the 2016–17 Jakarta gubernatorial election. Rallies in the name of ‘defending Islam’ that were organised by the Islamic Defenders Front (FPI) and other conservative Islamic groups led to the landslide defeat of former Jakarta governor Basuki ‘Ahok’ Tjahaja Purnama, who was accused of blaspheming against Islam.

Many of the participants in these rallies have now formed a number of ‘212 Alumni’ groups — named after the largest rally held on 2 December 2016. A member of the group’s advisory board Kapitra Ampera stated that the movement was founded ‘to elect observant Muslims to all elected office — as local and national legislators, local executives, and president of the Republic of Indonesia’.

Members of ‘212 Alumni’ agree that their goal is the defeat of President Joko ‘Jokowi’ Widodo in his 2019 re-election bid. They argue that Jokowi has issued policies that are ‘detrimental to the interests of Indonesian Muslims’. The often-cited example is the introduction in July 2017 of an emergency regulation (Perppu) on civil society organisations, which they believe is designed to ‘criminalise members of the clergy (ulama)’.

Despite their common goal to defeat Jokowi, there is no consensus among ‘212 Alumni’ members on which presidential candidate they plan to support. Some members propose Rizieq Shihab — FPI spiritual leader and chief organiser of the ‘defending Islam’ rallies who is now in self-imposed exile in Saudi Arabia — as their presidential candidate.

Many other ‘212 Alumni’ members back candidates who come from more mainstream backgrounds. These include Gerindra Party Chairman Prabowo Subianto, Governor of Jakarta Anies Baswedan who defeated Ahok last year, and former commander-in-chief of the Indonesian army Gatot Nurmantyo.

Some of these more mainstream candidates have made overtures to attract support from conservative Muslim voters. Gatot, for instance, recently praised Rizieq as having a very good understanding of Pancasila (Indonesia’s national ideology) and said he does not believe that the FPI leader wants to implement Islamic (sharia) law in Indonesia.

Volunteers working for Anies said the Jakarta governor plans to officially declare his presidential candidacy on 6 July 2018 in a large mass rally in Jakarta. He is backed by the Prosperous Justice Party, which is Indonesia’s largest Islamist party and is affiliated with the Muslim Brotherhood. It also receives significant support from many ‘212 Alumni’ groups.

Other conservative Muslim activists are looking beyond the list of the most commonly touted presidential candidates for a someone who has both an ulama background and a successful record leading an Indonesian region (similar to Jokowi who was the mayor of Solo prior to his election as president). They believe the person who meets this criteria is Governor of West Nusa Tenggara province Tuan Guru Bajang (real name Muhammad Zainul Majdi).

Majdi’s supporters describe him as a perfect alternative to Jokowi. Majdi has completed two consecutive terms as governor and also possesses strong Islamic credentials. He is a graduate of Al Azhar University in Cairo, which is considered by many Muslims as the most important Islamic higher education institution in the world. Majdi is also the grandson of Tuan Guru Pancor, the founder of Nahdlatul Wathan — the largest Islamic organisation in West Nusa Tenggara.

Majdi’s supporters organised a Twitter campaign on 11 March 2018 that asked former president and current Chairman of the Democratic Party Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to sponsor Majdi as a presidential or vice-presidential candidate. Majdi also receives the backing of Ustadz Abdul Somad and Abdullah Gymnastiar (Aa Gym), two prominent Islamic televangelists who played instrumental roles in the 212 movement against Ahok.

Seeking re-election for a second five-year term, Jokowi has secured endorsement from several political parties — most importantly from his own Indonesian Democratic Party Struggle and from the Golkar Party. These parties together control 36 per cent of seats in the House of Representatives.

Despite this support, pressure from conservative Islamic groups to elect someone with strong Islamic affiliation as the next president will likely lead Jokowi to bolster his own Islamic credentials to win over pious voters. Jokowi is almost certain to nominate someone with a strong Islamic background as his vice-presidential candidate, similar to his outgoing vice president Jusuf Kalla. Potential candidates include Muhaimin Iskandar, Chairman of the National Awakening Party (PKB) who is affiliated with Indonesia’s largest Islamic organisation Nahdlatul Ulama; Muhammad Romahurmuziy, Chairman of the United Development Party; and Mohammad Mahfud MD, a senior politician from PKB and former chief justice of Indonesia’s Constitutional Court. In the past few days, anonymous sources close to the President’s office informed the author that both Tuan Guru Bajang and Mahfud MD are at the top of Jokowi’s shortlist for possible vice-presidential nominees.

Indonesia’s presidential election is still a year away and many issues are yet to be resolved. But one certainty is that Islam will play a defining role in the election. Both Jokowi and his opponents will tout their Islamic credentials and present themselves and their policies as the most ‘friendly towards Islam’ to appeal to Indonesian Muslim voters, who comprise 87 per cent of the country’s population.

Whether the use of Islamic symbols during the campaign will remain peaceful, become divisive or inspire mobilisations similar to the ‘defending Islam’ rallies against Ahok last year is still an open question.

Alexander R Arifianto is a Research Fellow with the Indonesia Programme, S Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS), Nanyang Technological University, Singapore.

A version of this article was originally published here on RSIS.

Comments are closed.

Support Quality Analysis

Donate
The East Asia Forum office is based in Australia and EAF acknowledges the First Peoples of this land — in Canberra the Ngunnawal and Ngambri people — and recognises their continuous connection to culture, community and Country.

Article printed from East Asia Forum (https://www.eastasiaforum.org)

Copyright ©2024 East Asia Forum. All rights reserved.